Geshe Gelek

Geshe Gelek Chodha was born in Sikkim, the oldest of five children. At the age of seven, Geshe-la went south to live at Sera Jey monastery and become a monk. He achieved the degree of Geshe Lharampa in 1997, continuing on to the Gyume Tantric College to learn the intricacies of tantric rituals. At the suggestion of his classmate, Yangsi Rinpoche, Geshe-la was requested by Lama Zopa Rinpoche to come to Kadampa Center and be our resident teacher. Since his arrival in 1999, we have been privileged to have Geshe-la as our spiritual friend while he teaches us the Buddha Dharma with sincerity, humor, and patience. In response to Kadampa Center's request for a long life prayer for Geshe Gelek, Khen Rinpoche Geshe Lobsang Delek, one of Geshe Gelek's closest teachers, recommended that we recite at least 200,000 Tara mantras annually and dedicate them to Geshe Gelek's long life. We will be reciting these regularly at the Center, and invite those who feel a close connection to Geshe-la to recite mantras on their own.